PDE Realization and Structure-Aware Solvers for a Compact Two-Stage Fourth-Order IMEX Method

Abstract

This paper develops a PDE realization and solver framework for a compact two-stage fourth-order two-derivative implicit--explicit time discretization for stiff split problems. The key difficulty is a consistency--cost coupling: full-field temporal differentiation is required to preserve the mixed explicit--implicit interactions of the time integrator, but the same interactions widen the implicit stage operators and can make each solve substantially more expensive. We show that a second-order ADER/Cauchy--Kowalevski local evolution is sufficient for the fourth-order outer composition, establish smooth reconstruction consistency and a fully discrete error balance, and derive the leading Lie-bracket defect produced by self differentiation of the split fields. An inexact-stage analysis gives asymmetric midpoint and endpoint residual tolerances that preserve fourth-order accuracy. For the widened stages, the complete mixed action is retained matrix-free while only dominant stiff physics is approximated in the inverse. This yields quadratic and shifted preconditioners, Fourier and multilevel realizations, a semilinear reaction--diffusion reduction, and source-local elimination for relaxation systems. Exact quadratic cancellation, a diffusion-dominated Fourier estimate, and an $\epsilon /\Delta x$ bound for Jin--Xin relaxation explain the main solver mechanisms. Numerical ablations verify the consistency and tolerance results, while a two-dimensional Brusselator study on two grids shows favorable error-versus-wall-time behavior over a useful accuracy range. A classical stiff-front benchmark also identifies the separate spatial shock--source limitation. The results support a regime-dependent efficiency claim rather than a universal speedup.